Patriots rookie Malik Cunningham is already having fun with quarterback, huge receiver and gunner, nevertheless he’s taken on one different accountability amongst his rookie class: mentor.
Huge receivers coach Ross Douglas acknowledged Friday that Cunningham helps out fellow rookie wideouts Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte. All three avid gamers have been standouts for the Patriots this summer season season.
“The advantage of Malik is he loves soccer, and he actually cares about being good,” Ross Douglas acknowledged. “That’s the very very first thing about him. So each little factor from there really takes care of itself.
“He’s even taking Demario and Kayshon beneath his wing, they usually’ll stroll via the performs, they’ll go within the digital room again in Foxboro and simply actually attempt to get a beat on the following day’s set up and actually simply attempt to good their craft. So, Malik could be very mature, he’s very skilled already as a rookie, and he takes his craft very significantly. That’s why he’s in a position to form of juggle each the quarterback and large receiver place. He’s not good, however the wish to and the intentions are there.”
Cunningham was Louisville’s starting quarterback for 4 years, so he’s used to essential his teammates. He carried out quarterback in rookie minicamp, primarily switched to huge receiver for OTAs, minicamp and the start of teaching camp, and now he’s dabbling in every positions. He was really the lone vibrant spot for the Patriots’ offense of their preseason-opening loss to the Houston Texans, scoring their lone touchdown.
Cunningham observed some movement at every positions this week in joint practices with the Packers. It wouldn’t be stunning if the Patriots saved using him in every roles transferring forward, doubtlessly even into the widespread season.
“Malik’s made quite a lot of progress, as a result of when he got here in relationship again to when he first began taking part in soccer in Pop Warner, highschool, faculty, he had by no means performed the large receiver place,” Douglas acknowledged. “He was ranging from scratch. He’s made quite a lot of progress. We nonetheless have a protracted solution to go, however simply seeing the distinction from what to was again in Could and June to what it’s now’s considerably higher. We nonetheless have a protracted solution to go, however he’s undoubtedly making progress.”
Douglas appears to already be a near-roster lock for the Patriots as a 2023 sixth-round resolve as he’s excelled out of the slot. Boutte had a sluggish start to teaching camp nevertheless has had a knack for spectacular catches as a result of the summer season season was wore on.
Douglas has been impressed by what he’s seen from every avid gamers since they’ve been taken throughout the sixth spherical.
“These guys ever since we drafted them and obtained them into the offseason program and in our energy and conditioning program — simply get them across the vets — they’ve gotten higher each single day that they’ve been right here,” Douglas acknowledged. “Simply fixed development in every part that has to do with the large receiver place, they usually’ve grown within the classroom, grown on the sector. That’s the measure that you just wish to measure these younger guys by, how significantly better are they getting. And people two are undoubtedly getting higher.”